Beauty Shots

Here is a picture of my fluorescent anemones under blue light. There are many types of animals that fluoresce, even in different colors depending on the protein that is involved. This anemone contains a protein called Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). Fluorescence is when light at one wavelength is absorbed and reemitted at a longer and less energetic wavelength. In this case, blue and near ultraviolet is being absorbed and reemitted as green. It may be a way for animals to have their own built-in sunscreen - taking harmful high powered UV rays and converting them to green light.

In fact, fluorescence is common in nature, including some minerals and gems. Vitamin B2 fluoresces yellow, tonic water blue. Animals that fluoresce include : (from wikipedia)

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  • 4.4.1.1Fish

  • 4.4.1.2Sharks

  • 4.4.1.3Coral

  • 4.4.1.4Cephalopods

  • 4.4.1.5Jellyfish

  • 4.4.1.6Mantis shrimp

• 4.4.2.1Siphonophores

• 4.4.2.2Dragonfish

• 4.5Terrestrial

  • 4.5.1Amphibians

  • 4.5.2Butterflies

  • 4.5.3Parrots

  • 4.5.4Arachnids

  • 4.5.5Platypus

  • 4.5.6Plants

The other type of "living light" is Bioluminescence (like fireflies) and "non living light" Phosphorescence (like glow sticks).

This is what my anemones look like most of the time. They have a green color here due to algae in their tissues, but they don't "glow".

Here is a red striped shrimp. I have two, and this one is forming eggs - the darker line in her abdomen.

a Blood Star

a Bat Star. You can see tube feet along the edge of the star and little tufts of gills all over it's back.

A Spaghetti Worm. I have a few of these, from 1-3 inches in size.

A Mossy Chiton. You can see where it has eaten the brown algae from the pinkish rock.

My second chiton shows how well they can be camouflaged when they have algae growing on them.

More pics to come!